The Congress party, which was actively involved in the agitations at University of Hyderabad (UoH), a year ago following the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula, again today invoking his legacy with an intention of strengthening party’s base among dalits.
On the first death anniversary of Rohith, the party’s SC Department organised a round table and protested that till now no action has been taken against individuals who were responsible for creating circumstances that forced Rohith to commit suicide. Instead, it alleged that those suspected to be accused have been rewarded by the Central government.
Deploring that there was no change in conditions in UoH since last one year, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy accuses that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been according logistic support to the University Vice Chancellor in suppressing the agitation seeking justice for Rohith Vemula.
Describing the BJP-led NDA Government as anti-Dalit, he said that the UoH Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, who is accused of harassing the Dalit students, was not only retained, but given an award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself during the Indian Science Congress at Tirupati this month. He also found fault with the Chief Minister for not taking action against the police officials who were guilty of harassing and torturing the students.
The former minister recalled that while making a statement in the State Legislative Assembly on March 26, the Chief Minister had assured the House that he would order a probe into the allegations of police excesses. He had also assured to convey to the Prime Minister the mood of the House that UoH VC should be removed. However, Reddy deplored that neither the probe was completed nor any action was taken against the guilty police officials.
Moreover, he lamented that the Central Government tried to divert attention by questioning the caste of Rohith Vemula and his family. “Rohith’s family members and friends are being harassed and intimidated in different ways by the authorities,” he alleged
